A squad of 40 players in contention for selection for the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year has been announced.
The final team of 24 players will be named on Monday, September 18 at the 2023 VFL and VFLW Awards.
Gold Coast Suns and Werribee have the most representatives in the squad, with six players selected from each club. The Suns and Tigers both finished the home-and-away season with a 16-2 win-loss record, with the Suns claiming the minor premiership on percentage.
The full list of club representation was – Box Hill Hawks (three), Brisbane Lions (three), Carlton (one), Casey Demons (one), Coburg (one), Collingwood (one), Essendon (nil), Footscray Bulldogs (two), Frankston (three), Geelong Cats (one), Gold Coast Suns (six), GWS Giants (one), North Melbourne (one), Northern Bullants (one), Port Melbourne (two), Richmond (one), Sandringham (one), Southport Sharks (two), Sydney Swans (nil), Werribee (six) and Williamstown (three).
Players must have played a minimum of 12 matches to be considered for selection in the Smithy's VFL Team of the Year.
AFL-listed players are eligible to be selected.
The announcement of the 2023 Smithy's VFL Team of the Year squad comes on the eve of the commencement of the 2023 Smithy's VFL Finals Series.
The squad members named are in alphabetical order and are as follows:
Jaxon Binns, Carlton
17 matches this season, 8 goals
Averages 29.2 disposals, 21.1 uncontested possessions, 7.9 marks, 4.6 rebound 50s, 4.5 intercepts
Dominic Brew, Werribee
18 matches this season, 5 goals
Averages 25.8 disposals, 16.3 kicks, 5.3 contested possessions, 9.8 tackles, 7.9 clearances
Callum Brown, Box Hill Hawks
17 matches this season, 1 goal
Averages 30.1 disposals, 74.6% disposal efficiency, 22.5 effective disposals, 5.9 score involvements, 4.3 rebound 50s
Chris Burgess, Gold Coast Suns
17 matches, 51 goals
Averages 12.9 disposals, 72.9 scoring accuracy, 11.1 hitouts, 8.1 score involvements, 3.0 goals
Charlie Constable, Gold Coast Suns
16 matches this season, 2 goals
Averages 30.8 disposals, 76.3% disposal efficiency, 6.6 marks, 6.3 score involvement, 4.7 rebound 50s
Nicholas Coughlan, Werribee
15 matches this season, 2 goals
Averages 19.6 disposals, 77.6% disposal efficiency, 8.1 rebound 50s, 7.3 intercepts, 6.0 marks
Jacob Dawson, Southport Sharks
18 matches this season
Averages 32.8 disposals, 23.9 effective disposals, 16.7 contested possessions, 9.6 clearances, 5.6 tackles
Kye Declase, Werribee
18 matches this season, 20 goals
Averages 24.2 disposals, 10.9 scoreboard impact, 7.8 contested possessions, 6.6 marks, 4.9 inside 50s
Oliver Dempsey, Geelong Cats
14 matches this season, 18 goals
Averages 21.4 disposals, 13.3 scoreboard impact, 6.1 score involvements, 3.5 inside 50s, 1.3 goals
Tom Downie, Williamstown
17 matches this season, 6 goals
Averages 13.3 disposals, 35.1 hitouts, 8.4 hitouts to advantage, 4.9 clearances, 4.9 tackles
Luke Dunstan, Casey Demons
14 matches this season, 10 goals
Averages 30.0 disposals, 10.2 contested possessions, 6.4 score involvements, 5.4 clearances, 4.6 inside 50s
Cameron Fleeton, GWS Giants
15 matches this season
Averages 22.7 disposals, 85.6% kicking efficiency, 84.1% disposal efficiency, 8.6 intercepts, 8.1 marks
Will Fordham, Frankston
18 matches this season, 7 goals
Averages 26.6 disposals, 15.1 uncontested possessions, 12.1 contested possessions, 6.0 clearances, 4.2 score involvements
Hudson Garoni, Werribee
17 matches this season, 40 goals
Averages 12.6 disposals, 55% score involvement, 6.8 score involvements, 4.6 shots at goal, 2.4 goals
Caleb Graham, Gold Coast Suns
18 matches this season
Averages 14.6 disposals, 82.1% disposal efficiency, 8.5 marks, 6.9 intercepts, 5.4 spoils
Tom Gribble, Werribee
17 matches this season, 5 goals
Averages 31.8 disposals, 22.7 effective disposals, 19.1 uncontested possessions, 7.2 score involvements, 6.7 clearances
Tom Highmore, Sandringham
16 matches this season, 1 goal
Averages 22.3 disposals, 81% disposal efficiency, 8.7 intercepts, 7.4 rebound 50s, 6.8 marks
Harvey Hooper, Port Melbourne
16 matches this season, 7 goals
Averages 25.3 disposals, 14.5 uncontested possessions, 10.6 contested possessions, 6.7 inside 50s, 4.6 score involvements
Marty Hore, Williamstown
17 matches this season
Averages 22.9 disposals, 10.2 marks, 10.2 intercepts, 8.6 rebound 50s, 5.0 spoils
Ben Jepson, Coburg
18 matches this season, 1 goal
Averages 25.1 disposals, 17.3 kicks, 78.3% disposal efficiency, 7.8 handballs, 6.5 rebound 50s
Charlie Lazzaro, North Melbourne
13 matches this season, 4 goals
Averages 26.6 disposals, 6.8 score involvements, 6.1 tackles, 4.7 inside 50s, 4.2 clearances
Kai Lohmann, Brisbane Lions
13 matches this season, 28 goals
Averages 16.6 disposals, 8.4 contested possessions, 7.6 score involvements, 2.2 goals, 1.0 goal assists
Ned Long, Box Hill Hawks
13 matches this season, 8 goals
Averages 23.7 disposals, 7.3 score involvements, 6.3 tackles, 4.7 clearances, 1.3 goal assists
Jarryd Lyons, Brisbane Lions
14 matches this season, 9 goals
32.6 disposals, 17.6 uncontested possessions, 8.2 score involvements, 7.6 clearances, 2.7 centre bounce clearances
Finlay Macrae, Collingwood
15 matches this season, 7 goals
Averages 26.4 disposals, 6.5 score involvements, 5.9 tackles, 5.5 inside 50s, 4.9 clearances
Shaun Mannagh, Werribee
18 matches this season, 32 goals
Averages 25.9 disposals, 7.8 score involvements, 7.2 inside 50s, 6.1 tackles, 4.9 clearances
Oscar McDonald, Williamstown
18 matches this season, 2 goals
Averages 16.7 disposals, 8.8 intercepts, 8.3 marks, 5.7 rebound 50s, 5.1 spoils
Brodie McLaughlin, Gold Coast Suns
18 matches this season, 51 goals
Averages 15.8 disposals, 55.3% score involvement, 8.2 score involvements, 6.8 marks, 2.8 goals
Ned Moyle, Gold Coast Suns
16 matches this season, 7 goals
Averages 15 disposals, 26.8% score involvement, 35.1 hitouts, 11.1 hitouts to advantage, 4.7 clearances
Kai Owens, Frankston
17 matches this season, 9 goals
Averages 23.0 disposals, 11.7 contested possessions, 11.2 uncontested possessions, 5.7 clearances, 5.0 tackles
Ethan Phillips, Port Melbourne
18 matches this season
Averages 17.6 disposals, 83.2% disposal efficiency, 11.0 intercepts, 8.6 marks, 4.9 marks from opposition kicks
Jaxon Prior, Brisbane Lions
15 matches this season, 7 goals
Averages 22.1 disposals, 79.8% disposal efficiency, 6.8 marks, 4.6 intercepts, 4.6 rebound 50s
Brandon Ryan, Box Hill Hawks/Northern Bullants
12 matches this season, 26 goals
Averages 13.4 disposals, 8.2 contested possessions, 5.9 score involvements, 2.2 goals, 1.9 contested marks
Alex Sexton, Gold Coast Suns
12 matches this season, 31 goals
Averages 15.3 disposals, 9.8 uncontested possessions, 8.2 score involvements, 5.8 contested possessions, 2.6 goals
Ryley Stoddart, Frankston
14 matches this season
Averages 26.1 disposals, 74.8% disposals efficiency, 6.1 marks, 5.4 intercepts, 5.4 rebound 50s
Lachlan Street, Richmond
18 matches this season, 3 goals
Averages 23.6 disposals, 13.4 uncontested possessions, 10.4 contested possessions, 4.9 score involvements, 4.7 clearances
Lachlan Sullivan, Footscray Bulldogs
18 matches this season, 13 goals
Averages 30.7 disposals, 15.1 contested possessions, 8.5 scoreboard impact, 7.7 clearances, 2.7 centre bounce clearances
Jordon Sweet, Footscray Bulldogs
17 matches this season, 8 goals
Average 13.2 disposals, 43.1 hitouts, 12 hitouts to advantage, 5.6 score involvements, 4.6 clearances
Jean-Luc Velissaris, Northern Bullants
18 matches this season, 10 goals
Averages 30.9 disposals, 20.7 effective disposals, 19.4 kicks, 18.9 uncontested possessions, 6.6 clearances
Boyd Woodcock, Southport Sharks
18 matches this season, 18 goals
Averages 30.2 disposals, 16.9 uncontested possessions, 12 contested possessions, 7.2 score involvements, 6.8 clearances
*Stats based on home-and-away matches
